Posted on 08/22/2016 1:42:03 PM PDT by drewh
A defiant Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe announced Monday that he again restored the voting rights of about 13,000 felons who served their time after his previous attempt was thwarted by Republican lawmakers and the state Supreme Court.
Virginia's highest court ruled in July that governors cannot restore rights en masse, but must consider each offender on a case-by-case basis. That ruling invalidated a sweeping executive order issued by McAuliffe in April that had given back the voting rights of more than 200,000 felons who completed their sentences.
McAuliffe blasted the court Monday for ignoring the "the clear text of the Constitution" and accused Republicans of trying to suppress voters' voices. But he pledged to move forward, saying he won't let the felon disenfranchisement "destroy lives and families, and destabilize communities."
"These individuals are gainfully employed. They send their children and their grandchildren to our schools. They shop in our grocery stores and they pay taxes. And I am not content to condemn them for eternity as inferior second-class citizens," McAuliffe said during an event at the Virginia Civil Rights Memorial.
Rights-restoration letters were mailed Friday to the roughly 13,000 people who had registered to vote before their rights were taken away by the court, McAuliffe said. His administration processed each felon's paperwork individually to comply with the ruling, he said.
Moving forward, McAuliffe will individually restore the rights of other felons who meet the requirements, giving priority to those who request it, he said. The orders also allow the felons to serve on a jury, run for public office and become a notary public.
A voter-registration application will be included in each of the rights-restoration letters sent to felons, McAuliffe said. The deadline to register to vote in Virginia for November's election is Oct. 17.
The Virginia Supreme Court's 4-3 decision striking down his executive order was a significant blow to McAuliffe, who called felon disenfranchisement a vestige of the state's Jim Crow past because it disproportionately impacts African-Americans.
Republicans have accused McAuliffe of trying to add more Democrats to the voter rolls to aid presidential candidate Hillary Clinton in November, but McAuliffe maintains his motivations weren't political. The administration recently released the names and addresses of the 13,000 who had registered, and most of them live in urban areas that typically vote Democratic.
GOP House Speaker William Howell, who sued McAuliffe over the order, said lawmakers will carefully review the process McAuliffe laid out Monday to ensure it meets the requirements set by the court.
"From the beginning, we have done nothing more than hold the governor accountable to the constitution and the rule of law. The Supreme Court's decision vindicated our efforts and we will continue to fulfill our role as a check on the excesses of executive power," Howell said in a statement.
Kenneth Williams, whose voter registration was canceled after the court ruling, said he looks forward to getting his letter saying his rights have once again been restored. The 67-year-old, who served 10 years on a robbery charge and now runs a prisoner re-entry program, said he's eager to not only vote himself, but help to register others whose rights were once stripped away.
"I made a promise to myself that I'm going to assist everyone I can to register to vote ... so they can have a voice," he said.
Voting rights for ex-felons should be lawfully restored.
The article is confusing, did the legislature pass a law to restore voting rights, or was it an executive order? It appears that argument is that McAulliffe is skirting the law?
Corrupt DemoRat pols ignore court rulings too . We should play their game.
I sort of had the feeling this was coming after he was slapped down giving a blanket restoration of voting privileges to all Virginia felons. The court indicated that the law said they could only be restored on an individual basis.
Now if I was a big a slimy eel-skinned scum as the Democrats, I would say, sure, we will send a questionnaire to all felons so they can be reviewed.
The questionnaire would say “Do you intend to vote for Hillary?” If the answer is “Yes” then congratulations, you have been individually reviewed and deemed ready to have your rights restored!
The voter fraud will be the biggest of the history of the world. Meanwhile the nevertrump group will blame us and Donald. Pfffft.
13,000 looks like en masse to me. Sounds like contempt of court. How can you instantly evaluate 13,000 individual cases and use an auto pin to sign their restoration orders? Mockery of justice.
Hope you’re right!!!
McAuliffe being elected needs investigation. I seem to remember he ‘pulled it off’ late in the count. He went up against Bevin, I think? Anyway, no one cares that it’s the CLINTOON MACHINE who defrauded his way into his cozy job, I guess.
Exactly. Looks like the rule of law is over. Fiat government without checks and balances.
I agree totally!
Thankfully, the state supreme court ruled his order unconstitutional last month!!
Hellary hates super-predators but would love their votes.
Ah, the things her minions will do for her. Risk it all for the devil-bitch. Do you feel free in America?
Nothing would be worse than listening to and looking at her as POTUS!! We are on life support and November 8 will be either a miraculous cure (President-Elect Trump) or pulling the plug with her in charge!!!
Add in the voting dead and lost ballots.
True, we need a big cushion to win the State.
Is this why AB Stoddard was saying VA is a lost cause, for Trump, on Fox this morning??
Have you noticed how Conservatives and Trump supporters have adopted the language of the left.
There is o such thing as Voting Rights. Voting is a privilege limited by the 14th Amendment to Citizens.
Rights come from God. Privileges come from government.
Immigrants, even illegal immigrants, have rights ... Freedom of speech, religion, press, bear arms, etc. But non-Citizens are explicitly excluded from Equal Protection of the law that comes from goverment.
But we hear Trump supporters and Conservatives mis-using the word RIGHTS to apply to voting. This is one way we lose the argument..and lose our country.
Looks like Hillary will be able to vote for herself after all!
He must think he is an emperor Oblahblah.
Animals
Mark VA blue.
Democrats are such scum.
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